Loyally in Love
James 1:12, "Anyone who meets a testing challenge head-on and manages to stick it out is mighty fortunate. For such persons loyally in love with God, the reward is life and more life."
This scripture challenges my faith. I want to have my face set like flint as it says in Isaiah 50:7, "And the Master, God, stays right there and helps me, so I'm not disgraced. Therefore I set my face like flint, confident that I'll never regret this."
I want to be one who is loyally in love with God. I love that phrase and what that means- I love the words that James uses- loyally in love with God. It speaks of faithfulness and devotion. To be loyal I must first come and give Him my best and first love. He deserves it and I need to give Him that.
The reward is life and more life! What a reward. Jesus promises us abundant life. That is a full life and rich life. The abundant life comes from knowing Him and abiding in Him.
I often feel so sorry for the people of this world who do not know Christ. While obviously there are many reasons our hearts should break for them. One is that they must have such dull and boring unfulfilling lives. It is exciting to walk with God. It is abundant and so fulfilling. God is so much bigger than anything this world could ever offer and if I am living my life completely for Him then the life I live will be bigger than anything I could do in this world apart from Him.
His reward is so great! It is so wonderful to know Him and to abide in Him. Apart from Him I can do nothing. Those words are so true! I need to remember that when I am trying to do things my own way.
His ways are so much higher than our ways. I might not, well, I won't always understand them but that is Ok. I don't have to understand His ways. He never promised that. I just must submit to His ways.
He is faithful to work everything together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. He promises us that in Romans 8:28 which says, "We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them."
It says everything- even things that seem impossible- good things and bad things. Things that make sense and things that are beyond our understanding- everything.
In Matthew 19:26 and again in Mark 10:27 it says, "Jesus looked at them intently and said, "Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible." Further in Luke 1:37 it goes on to say, "For nothing is impossible with God."
Those words are so encouraging. It makes me see that I need to be dreaming big dreams. I need to live an extravagant life- one lived by faith- one that shows I believe every word in scripture is true. A life that shows I believe this truth. I want to love extravagantly and not hold back. Life is too short to hold back. I want to move beyond me and my narrow-minded selfish ways and perspective. I can only do that by abiding in Christ and keeping my eyes, mind and thoughts firmly fixed on Him.
My perspective has a lot to do with how I live. Luke 18:27 says, "He replied, "What is impossible from a human perspective is possible with God." I don't want a human perspective- I want an eternal perspective.
Hebrews 12:2-3 is so encouraging and stresses the importance of where we fix our gaze. "2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. 3 When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!"
That does shoot adrenaline into my soul. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me as it says in Philippians 4:13. Praise God for His sufficient grace and sovereign love.
Romans 11:33 "Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are his riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods!"
I am thankful to know God. I am glad He is in control. I am thankful for breath and for life. These are gifts from the Father. I want to be faithful with every breath. Life is short- in the perspective of eternity I am only a mere passing shadow- here today and gone tomorrow. I will see AJ again soon. He already knows how short life is and can see from that eternal perspective things we can only imagine.
I want to make the most of the time I have been given here knowing that this is not my home. Knowing that this time here on earth is only a training ground for eternity. This is not real or even true life- this is only reflections of eternity. One day we will be home and we will have our true forms and abundant eternal life. That will be richer than anything this world could offer and richer than anything I could ever imagine. I praise God for this.
I am glad that our small depressing lives on earth are not 'it'. I am glad there is more. I am glad to serve the God of the Universe who has the whole world in His hands- who sets eternity in my heart as it says Ecclesiastes 3:11 "God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end."
There is more- we are just a small but vital part of His work. Be faithful. Live. Love. Do everything with all your heart as for working for the Lord and not for men.
posted by Kellie # 9:14 AM
